About Freshly Completed

November 11, 2014

Easy Quilted Christmas Stockings

Last year I was a guest on U -Create where I shared how to make these stockings.

I'm happy to share this project here with you today with plenty of time left to make stockings until Christmas.

Last year I started this project and got five of them completed...with a baby due any day and not quite positive on the name we were going to name her, I didn't make ever make the 6th. A couple days ago I had a free afternoon and finished my sixth and put together this tutorial for you.

ALSO, I will mention for the sake of internet safety I've removed all my children's names. They are actually on the quilted tops and they look darling. Sorry, I can't share them with you.

STEP ONE: Collect all your fabric. Jo-Ann's has the best deals on Christmas fabric about a month before Christmas.

I have matching fabric scraps in each stocking. I love how it ties them all together.

STEP TWO: Cut out the main pattern pieces and tape them together, lining up on the orange lines and abc spots.

STEP THREE: Flip the main pattern piece to the backside and cut out one main stocking piece out of your nice fabric, to be the stocking back. Cut out your scraps and decide how you want them to be place. Sometimes I do three scraps in a row, sometimes two, sometimes just one long one. I just cut out random rectangles to suit my liking. I always add two or three rows past the size of my stocking.

STEP FOUR: Connect each scrap by sewing all your pieces together, placing right sides together. Sew using a 1/2" inseam. Press seams open. Continue until each row has all its scraps connected.

STEP FIVE: Now with right sides together, connect the rows together. Sew on a 1/2" inseam and press seams open.

STEP SIX: Press from the front smoothing everything out. Place pattern on top and pin in place. Cut out main stocking piece (make sure it's facing the opposite direction as your back piece).

STEP SEVEN: Cut out two pieces of felt.

STEP EIGHT: Place main stocking pieces on top of felt and pin together. Using a double needle (or stitching twice, like I do) quilt through both layers. Then, space 1 1/2" over to the left and start again. I use a 1 1/2" piece of felt to be my guide. Continue the length of the stocking. Repeat with the back piece.

STEP NINE: Place stocking pieces together with right sides facing and stitch around the entire stocking. Finish the edges with a zig-zag stitch or serged edges.

Hubby gave me an early Christmas present this year-- a Serger. I'm so excited about it! This was my first project using it. I had a little trouble with the curve--still figuring out this beast. I really should have left it how it looked when this picture was taken. I tried to go back over it a couple of times-- and really shaved it waaaay down. Darn it!

STEP TEN: Cut out your two stocking top pieces on the fold using quilted cotton. Make a print out of your name(s), using a word document. I used the font Honey Script. Then, using an exacto knife I cut out each of the letters.

If you have a fancy machine that cuts things out for you, this would be ideal.

Placed the now stencil, on the bottom half center of one top piece and use a pencil to write the name in place.

STEP ELEVEN: Then, following the pencil marks I embroidered each name using my normal sewing machine. I just use a super tight tension and a zig-zag stitch and move it really slowly, my zig zag stitch varied from 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 depending on how wide I wanted it to be. I pull the material slowly forwards and backwards, as needed.

STEP TWELVE: Make a hanger from a piece of the quilted cotton to your desired size. With right sides together stitch up both sides, making sure to add the hanger in between. Fold right side out.

STEP THIRTEEN: With the main stocking inside out and the stocking top right side out, place the top stocking piece inside the main stocking facing the front side.

STEP FOURTEEN: Sew around the top piece and the main stocking piece. Finish the edge with either a zig-zag stitch or a serged edge.

STEP FIFTEEN: Flip right side out! ALL Done!

You can see how I shaved off the top of my boot here. All my other stockings follow my normal stocking design.